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The annual “Conference of the Parties” (COP) was set up by the United Nations to coordinate the global
response to climate change. Limiting global temperature rises to 1.5°C is widely agreed as the limit to
prevent very serious and damaging climate change. The objective of the Conference in Paris in 2015
(COP21), was to achieve a legal and universal agreement from all the countries of the world to reduce
greenhouse gases so we don’t go above a 2°C rise, and to reduce the impacts even this will have across
the world, especially on poorer people.
At the longest COP conference on record, COP26 which took place in Glasgow, countries agreed to the
goal of climate neutrality, increased funding for developing countries vulnerable to climate change,
and less money for new fossil fuel projects. They did not reach a common response to phasing out the
use of coal.

In July 2021 the European Climate Law entered into force. It is the EU's first climate law that makes
reaching climate neutrality by 2050 law. It also aims to achieve negative emissions after 2050 and sets
an intermediary climate target of a reduction of net greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55% by 2030.

Interactive timeline: A GUIDE TO CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/infographic/climate-negotiations-
timeline/index_en.html

6.1. Mitigation

The most crucial step to limiting climate change is to make big and rapid reductions in global
greenhouse gas emissions. There are many different ways this can be done and governments,
businesses, organisations and individuals around the world can all contribute. A successful mitigation
pathway will likely involve combinations of strategies on all these levels.

By choosing cleaner ways to power our homes, offices, and cars, and being more efficient and less
wasteful, we can produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy production and use

Energy production and use are by far our biggest contributors to greenhouse gases emissions. By
transforming how we produce the energy we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions (see Module 3
Energy Resources and Management).
Transport

The transportation sector is a big contributor to greenhouse gases emissions. The transportation
sector also is a primary source of other kinds of emissions that degrade air quality and threaten
human health. Reducing transportation emissions will both mitigate future climate change and
improve air quality and human health. Such benefits that go beyond reducing emissions are
sometimes referred to as co-benefits.

On a larger scale, we can make societal decisions to reduce our transportation energy use. For
example, cities can choose to build public transportation networks so we use less energy driving
individual cars, or cities can build infrastructure that makes it easier to ride a bicycle. Communities
can choose to develop neighbourhoods where jobs and stores are close to where people live.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the

information contained therein.